September 2003 - The Preddy Memorial Foundation

PREDDY MEMORIAL FOUNDATION
ANNUAL REPORT
SEPTEMBER 2003
Franti Hokr with Bill’s Seat
P-47/P-51 over Bodney
Col. Hicks at VA ANG Base Ops
Kohout/Lester/Parts
Euro Trip’s 352nd FG Vets
Cripes in PTI Airport
NC Museum of History
Spirit of Bodney
Guilford Veterans Memorial
Preddy Memorial Foundation
September 2003 Annual Report
Board of Directors
Rachel Preddy Harris
Honorary Director
William F. Black, President
Clyde T. Gaskins, VP
John Faircloth, Secretary
Joe Noah, Treasurer
From the Triad:
The Hon. Carson Bain
William H. Craft
Louis P. Godwin
The Hon. Horace R. Kornegay
Curtis Laughlin
Harold R. McCollum
William B. Mills, Atty.
A Memorable Reunion: October 2002
Bill Preddy’s fighter group, the
339th, held their reunion in Charleston, SC
last year. Joe & Betty Noah attended. It
was a great reunion, and the Noahs met
some of Bill’s squadron mates who
remembered him well. One day was spent
on the Yorktown Carrier where we had a
tour and lunch. The most recent 339th
Newsletter included an article by a pilot,
David MacKenzie, whose wing Bill was
flying on April 7, 1945. On that mission to
Hamburg, David was shot down by
friendly fire from a B-17, and was taken
prisoner. Bill may have filed a Missing
Aircrew Report, a report Steve Ananian of
the 339th is trying to find for us.
Ceremony at Burlington, NC Airport
William J. Moore
James G. Rucker
Walker F. Rucker
From Other Places:
Col. Bruce C. Guard (Ret)
Buffalo Junction, VA
Marc Hamel
Raleigh, NC
Robert Huddleston
Chapel Hill, NC
C. M. Hunt, Jr., M.D.
Swansboro, NC
Morton W. Lester
Martinsville, VA
Van B. Noah, M.D.
Raleigh, NC
A member of the PMF and relative
of the Preddys, Paul Holt, arranged a
ceremony in memory of the brothers. It
was held at the Burlington Airport The
event was reported in the Burlington
newspaper with photos.
The Commemorative Air Force
In the July 2003 issue of The
Carolinas Flight Line, Col. John Bogart
was kind enough to include a copy of John
Frisbee’s 1987 Air Force Magazine article
entitled “The Complete Fighter Pilot.” The
article is a top-notch summary of George
Preddy’s career! Thank you, John & John!
Dolph Overton III, Ace
Smithfield, NC
Robert H. Powell
Atlanta, GA
W. Harding Shinn
Charlotte, NC
Samuel L. Sox, Jr., CLU
Myrtle Beach, SC
Charlotte’s Douglas Airport
Jennifer Shouse is searching for a
prominent place in the terminal building to
display our original painting of American
Patrol, the painting that was done by Troy
White and used on our dust cover of the
hard back book, George Preddy - Top
Mustang Ace. Also, we have a bust and an
American Patrol print on canvas displayed
in the Carolinas Aviation Museum.
352nd Fighter Group Association
The one-hour 352nd documentary
for PBS-TV is complete except for the musical
scores which will feature the Orlando
Symphony Orchestra. Bluenoser Tales, now
being compiled by Bob Powell, Marc Hamel
and Sam Sox, is now scheduled for publication
in late Fall. The 352nd FG is featured in several
magazines recently. These include a 3-part
article on the Legend of Y-29 in Air Classics
(Sept/Oct/Nov issues), a story on the production
of the 352nd documentary in Kissimmee,
Florida in Warbirds International, and a
fantastic story on Editor/Historian Robert H.
Powell, Jr. in AutoPILOT Magazine.
The Combat Airmen of WW II
The Combat Airmen of WW II are
writing and publishing a book on about 60
heroes from the area near Guilford County.
George Preddy, Jr. and Bill Preddy each have a
story included in the new book, Freedom’s
Heroes, that will be published later this month
(September, 2002) in Greensboro, NC (Writers'
Group of the Triad, Publishers). A painting by
Russell Smith of Cripes A Mighty 3rd piloted
by George is on the cover of the book, depicting
the moment that George shot down his sixth
Nazi plane during aerial combat on August 6,
1944. The title of the painting is "Sixth on the
Sixth" and limited prints will be available for
purchase through the artist and the PMF. The
painting is shown on the cover of this report,
and listed in our web site’s Gift Shop:
http://www.Preddy-Foundation.org
There are 59 veterans' stories in the book, each
illustrated with a photo of the veteran. The book
is to go into school libraries throughout Guilford
County. Interesting illustrations by Bill Mauldin
lighten the content and show how it is possible
to survive great tragedy with a touch of humor.
All military services are represented.
NC Aviation Museum
Our good friends in Asheboro have
incorporated their museum under a new name:
North Carolina Aviation Museum. In February
the NCAM hosted the George Preddy Day, a
day close to George’s birthday (the 5th) and 16
close friends and relatives of the Preddy
brothers attended to answer questions folks may
have had about them. It was a great day, and the
PMF is most grateful to the NCAM for what
they do in memory of the Preddys. The PMF
donated a flag to the NCAM, a flag given to us
by W. Dan Jones, a Vietnam veteran who had
the flag signed by members of the 352nd Fighter
Group at
the Last
Reunion held
in
Richmond. You may
recall that the NCAM
has an exhibit on the
Preddy brothers;
included is a 1/5th scale
model of Cripes
A’Mighty 3rd built by
Jeff Foley. We also have
a bust of George in the
display, a painting of
George’s P-47 by Billy
Garmon, and a part from
Bill Preddy’s Mustang
obtained from one of our
Czech friends, Frantisek
Hokr. The Museum staff
have finished the
restoration of their B-25,
Carolina
Girl, and have started work on an F4U Corsair. In short,
they have great plans for the future, plans that include
the NC Aviation Hall of Fame.
Pope-Preddy Air Force Base
The PMF has been trying valiantly to show a
ground swell of public opinion in favor of re-naming Pope
AFB by petition. The petition is on the internet, and we
have had several folks collect names on paper. Otto
Gaskins, Ben Marion at the NCAM, the VFW and others
have worked on this issue. We now have about 850
signatures online, and another 250 on paper. This is far
short of a ground swell. Although this effort appears to be
doomed to failure, the Preddy brothers have gotten some
badly needed publicity out of the effort. Warbirds
International and three issues of Air Classics gave us free
ads that included a plea for signers of the petition. We have
had a number of articles and letters to editors published
seeking signers.
Walls of Honor
We have entered the names of both George and Bill
Preddy on several Walls of Honor: the Air & Space
Museum at Dulles Airport, the Cradle of Aviation Museum
on Long Island, NY near Mitchel AFB, the NCAM at the
Asheboro Airport, and others. Rachel Preddy Harris and the
PMF have also entered both in the World War II Memorial
site’s Registry of Remembrances. You may see them at the
site below, and you may also enter yourself if you served in
WW II and made a donation to the Memorial:
http://www.wwiiregistry.org/
The Commemorative Air Force (CAF)
Many of you know the CAF as the Confederate Air
Force, but last year they changed their name. Joe Noah
joined two years ago because the Carolinas Wing based in
Southern Pines agreed to sell Preddy items at the various air
shows they attend. It is a great organization, and Joe has
met some fine people. They are helping to get George
enshrined in CAF’s American Combat Airman Hall of
Fame. He was nominated in December 2001. George has
not yet been selected for enshrinement in the National
Aviation Hall of Fame, but we continue to work on it.
Guilford County Veterans Memorial
The Guilford County Veterans Memorial was
dedicated on September 14, 2002 in Greensboro at the
Country Park. It is a memorial to those who served in the
armed forces and on the home front. Around the 24-foot
obelisk are 14 panels each telling a story with text, maps
and photos. There are six bronze plaques representing the
six military and merchant marine services. There are also
six plaques along the wooded Path of Memories. They
contain 36 quotes from letters written home. They are very
moving, and some are humorous. The memorial also honors
members of the Red Cross and USO, teams who offered our
service personnel a welcome diversion from the horrors of
war. A donation of $200 secured a memorial brick at the
Memorial while a $1,000 donation made one a Charter
Member with one’s name on the plaque at the Memorial.
The cost of the project was estimated at $400,000. The PMF
is listed among the major contributors thanks to all of you.
Greensboro Historical Museum
Construction at the Museum has been completed
and new exhibits are back in place. The Preddy brothers
have a great exhibit close to where it was located before the
construction began. Please visit.
Book Sales
Bob Powell continues to make money for the PMF
through sales of the 352nd History book. And the PMF
continues to sell books, videos and prints through gift shops
and online (Ebay, Amazon and our web site).
Euro Trip Plans
At our spring Board meeting, Morton Lester
suggested to Bob Powell that another trip be arranged for
those who would like to visit Bodney, England, and Asch
and Chievres in Belgium, and other places to include
Lorraine American Cemetery in France. The trip has been
arranged by Charlotte Carpenter, European Holidays. She
has a bus load of 45 people lined up so far!
Bob Reese, Split S Productions
“As of early September, if the timing of the score
goes well, we should be complete by mid-September. I
would like to have a premier in Washington, D.C. with a
concert. This production will cost about $100,000.” Some
donations to the effort have been made through the PMF,
but as of now, Split S is short by about $18,000. Major
donations to this effort were raised by Col. Steve Hicks, VA
ANG 192nd Fighter Wing, from Sidney Gunst, Jr. and Alan
Lingerfelt. Other major donations to this documentary made
through the PMF were from Ken Wagnon, Florence Reese,
Todd Gehrke and the PMF. Bob Reese and Rene Mestagh
have made major direct contributions to the effort.
PMF Finances
As of mid-September 2002, the PMF has about
$3,000 in it’s checking account, and about $12,000 in
mutual funds. We hope to raise more funds through this
mailing so that we can give further help to the 352nd
documentary and continue our projects. This year we have
donated $5,000 to the Veterans Memorial, and $4,000 to the
352nd documentary.
Board Meeting
The PMF will hold it’s fall board meeting on
Sunday, November 10th, at 2:00 PM in the Major George
Preddy VFW Post 2087 in Greensboro. Guests are invited.
PLEASE JOIN US